Advances in food technology are improving the foods that are available to consumers and promoting good health both through basic nutrition and through enhanced benefits of food products. Foods are being improved through the reduction or removal of certain components in a food, increasing the amount of certain components normally found in the food, or adding components to a food which are not normally found in the food. Products in which the amount of a component or ingredient naturally or normally present is increased or reduced include breakfast cereals with added bran or dairy products with reduced fat. Products with components or ingredients not normally present to any significant extent include fruit juice with added fiber, bread with added folic acid, and margarine spreads containing fish oils or olive oil.
Foods with components not normally present in those foods has become increasingly popular with the introduction of "functional foods". A functional food is any non-toxic food or food ingredient that has been altered to provide medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Functional foods are similar in appearance to conventional foods that are consumed as part of a "normal" diet, but have additives that demonstrate physiological benefits beyond their nutritive content. These products include genetically engineered "designer" foods, herbal products, and processed products, such as cereals, soups and beverages. Functional food product development reflects a major shift in attitude and an application of current knowledge about diet and health from `removing the bad` (for example, fat, cholesterol and salt) to `adding or enhancing the good` (such as calcium, fiber, antioxidants and botanicals). This has, in turn, paralleled consumer interest in healthy eating. Hollingsworth, P., Food Technol., 1997, 51, 55-8; Giese, J., & Katz, F., Food Technol., 1997, 51, 58-61. Consumers and their demand for an improved quality of life are bringing worldwide growth to the functional food industry.
Currently, a number of functional foods are being offered to consumers, including fortified breads, cereals, juices, and the like. For example, juice containing the patented calcium source FruitCal.TM. (calcium citrate malate), U.S. Pat. No.4,722,8470, which is more readily absorbable in juice (&gt;35%) than calcium from milk or calcium carbonate supplements, is widely marketed. These fortified juices provide protection against osteoporosis and promote healthy teeth and bones. Certain functional foods are also being introduced to prevent, treat or ameliorate physiological conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypercholesterolemia, and even menopause. For example, breakfast cereals with the compound PHYTROL.TM. added are marketed as foods to control cholesterol.
The opportunity for future growth and development of new functional foods worldwide is tremendous. Overwhelming evidence supports the link between diet and optimal health, particularly the prevention of degenerative diseases of aging such as cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis and stroke. Given the extended life expectancy for those in developed nations and the commensurate increase in healthcare costs associated with treating chronic ageing diseases, there will be more of an emphasis in the future on a preventative rather than a prophylactic approach to healthcare. Diet will play a critical role in this new paradigm.
There is thus a new demand for new methods of improving foods by adding components to these foods to improve nutrient content, reduce the amount or percentage of unwanted components (e.g., fats) or provide functional components that increase the physiological response beyond that of conventional food products.